The Mirror has reported that Chelsea have joined the race for Tottenham star Christian Eriksen, as the Blues look to strengthen their team-sheet.
However, while they do have a jam-packed midfield roster, there is no surprise why Maurizio Sarri’s side are after the Danish international given his rather unique skill-set. While this does mean a mass exodus to fund the move, the question for the Blues is, do they really need the 26-year-old?
There is no doubt about Christian Eriksen’s quality but Chelsea with all their strength and Eden Hazard, plus the upcoming arrival of Christian Pulisic, don’t need the attacking midfielder. Not to mention, there is no space for an attacking midfielder in Sarri’s midfield three.
The former Napoli boss prefers to play with three central midfielders, with Jorginho acting as the pivot while Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante play alongside him. For Eriksen to fit into the starting XI, the 26-year-old will have to play a lot deeper than he normally does and also essentially become an attacking box-to-box midfielder.
While the Dane does have it in him to transform himself and change position, there is a small chance that he will do it. Because if nothing else, Eriksen has established himself as one of the Premier League’s best-attacking midfielders and is among the top five in his position, so it makes no sense for him to change simply to adapt to Maurizio Sarri’s tactics.
Instead, in all likelihood, if the Tottenham star does make a move over the Stamford Bridge, then the Italian tactician will have to adapt his formation.
That’s an unlikely scenario and in the end, Eriksen will get played out of position, either on the wing or as a central midfielder. Neither are positions that the Danish international excels at and not to mention, in the end, it would be a waste of what is around £100million plus in transfer fees.
Instead of wasting that, the Blues should instead target some they really need – which includes replacements for Willian and Pedro as well as another striker to back-up Gonzalo Higuain, with the move all but announced (via Sky Sports).
With Mateo Kovacic only on loan from Real Madrid, Chelsea also need another reliable central midfielder with Ross Barkley struggling to rediscover his form.
